The 5G Wireless Champion is awarded in recognition of Mayor Turner’s leadership in ensuring that the City of Houston removes constraints on the industry’s ability to deploy small cells – the modern wireless infrastructure that enable 5G networks.

“Houston will be one of the first cities in the world to deploy 5G thanks to our commitment to removing barriers to wireless industry investment and business growth,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “5G will be a game changer for the City of Houston, helping us move ahead of other cities in digital innovation and bringing progress and economic growth.”

“Mayor Turner understands how the right government policies bring investment and opportunity to the City of Houston,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, President and CEO of CTIA. “Thanks to his leadership, Houston is positioned to benefit from the innovations and breakthroughs that next-generation 5G networks will bring.”

Small cells are about the size of a backpack and are installed on utility poles, streetlights, and the sides of buildings. Small cells can be installed in about an hour, but in areas with rules designed for 200-foot cell towers, can take more than a year to get approval. The wireless industry will need to deploy hundreds of thousands of modern wireless antennas – small cells – in the next few years to keep up with increasing consumer demand for wireless data and to build out new 5G networks.

Under Mayor Turner’s leadership, Houston has streamlined the permitting process by not requiring a license or attachment agreement for new poles or small cells, and completes review ahead of deadlines. Houston is among the fastest at reviewing and approving permits and leads all cities in Texas with 548 permit approvals since September 1st 2017.

According to Accenture, the wireless industry will invest $275 billion to deploy 5G networks across the U.S., generating 3 million new jobs and $500 billion in economic growth. Reducing timelines to deploy 5G by 12 months will generate an additional $100 billion in economic growth. In Houston, Accenture estimates that the industry will invest $1.9 billion, generate more than twenty thousand jobs and $3.5 billion in economic growth.

About 5G

Next-generation 5G networks will be one hundred times faster than today’s 4G networks, connect one hundred times more devices and be five times more responsive. They will bring a range of economic and social benefits and enable a variety of smart city innovations, the Internet of Things, driverless cars and more.

About the 5G Wireless Champion Award

The 5G Wireless Champion Awards honor the state and local officials that best exemplify the leadership and vision needed to bring next-generation 5G networks and innovation to their communities. They are given to officials that champion reforms, policies and practices that remove barriers to the deployment of next-generation wireless infrastructure.

About CTIACTIA® (www.ctia.org) represents the U.S. wireless communications industry and the companies throughout the mobile ecosystem that enable Americans to lead a 21st century connected life. The association’s members include wireless carriers, device manufacturers, suppliers as well as apps and content companies. CTIA vigorously advocates at all levels of government for policies that foster continued wireless innovation and investment. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices, hosts educational events that promote the wireless industry and co-produces the industry’s leading wireless tradeshow. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.